Mineral-washing plant



June 26, 923. 11.4%,196

, A. FRANCE MINERAL WASHING PLANT Filed J1me, 1922 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2%, 1923. mmwa A. FRANCE MINERAL WASHING PLANT Filed June -9, 1922 2 Shets-S heei'. 2

Patented June 26, 1923.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

ANTOINE FRANCE, 0F LIEGE, BELGIUM.

MINERAL-WASHING PL'ANT.

Application filed June 9, 1922. Serial No. 567,208.

pockets depending from a launder wherein the materials are subjected to the action ofa conveying water stream, and having a hop per-like separation chanibei formed in the upper portion thereof by a sloping screen leading downwardly to a discharge mouth,

and means for supplying water in upward streams through said pockets, sueh'as described and claimed in applications for U. S. A; Letters Patent Ser. Nos. 144,796 and 372,932, and theobjectot the invention is to obtain, in sorting apparatus of the type referred to, the separationof the products of higherlspecific gravity (orschists) and 0f the products of low specific gravity (or clean coal) by means of an upward stream of a velocity reduced to the minimum possible whatever the size of the particles to be separated, theraw product itself having been subjected to a preliminary classification according to specific gravity in a launder of suitable section and inclination by means of. aso-called horizontal? con; veying stream, in order toditferentiat'e it from the upward stream of the sorting ap-- paratus proper. I j I The size of the material of higher specific gravity which can be sorted in the plant in-' deed depends from the velocity of this stream, and it will be easily understood that the possibility of reducing such velocity results'in allowing the use of wet sorting apparatus of the type referred to above for the treatment of particles starting from a size which will be so much the more reduced that the aforesaid reduction of velocity may be more important.

Consequently as in this washing process the principles of equivalence enter into account only to a very small extent in the accidental moments when of the two kinds of streams employed, the upward stream plays the most important part while the part played by the conveylng stream of the launder is only secondary, if it becomes possible practically to do away with such accidents. it would become possible to treat completely in a single washing launder all minerals from about of an inch up to the size of about 3 inches generally considered as the maximum size in the case of coal treatment.

Now, as will be explained hereunder, it is not doubtful that the depth of the sorting pocket of the aforesaid wet sorting apparatus'can play a capital part in attaining the result in question. l

The present invention allows the modification of the said depth of the sorting pocket,

' and with this object in view, it comprises the provision of an oscillating sector-shaped discharge flap whichcan be adjusted at .will in a suitable direction, and of means for effecting.such'adjustment and for maintaming the flap 1n any required position, in

conjunction with the provision of meanswhereby the position of the sloping screen of the sorting pocket, leading to the aforesaid flap, may be adapted to the different adjusted positions given to the latter.

In order that the invention may be readily understood. certain embodiments of the said invention are, by way of example only, illustrated by the accompanying drawing, wherein: Y

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a vertical section in the planeof the longitudinal axis efthe launder and a corresponding transverse section showing a wet sorting apparatuswith oscillating discharge flap provided with adevice for the modification of the depth ot' the sorting pocket according to the invention in one of its embodiments.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showin an arrangement comprising a plurality of wet sorting apparatus 20, 20', 20", arranged in battery schists, each sorting apparatus being also provided with a device for the modification of the depth of the sorting pocket according to the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the shaft 1 of the oscillating flap 1 of the sorting apparatus has its ends supported in slides 6, the said shaft 1 being actuated by means of the operating lever 2 or the like so as to impart to the lmp the.

required oscillatory movement. The slides Sam at theirupper end provided with an extension under the form of a rack (3 so that they can beadjusted, together with the flap which they support, by means of the spur pinion 10 and the hand operated crank 4. A pin inserted both in a hole of the upper lateral wall of the apparatus and in one of a series of holes provided for the purpose in a discf5 secured on the shaft of the pinion 10, prevents the flap from droppin once it has been .placed in the desired adjusted position. The lower portion or screen plate 7 of the inclined screen of the sorting pocket is secured to the slides 6 and therefore moves solidly with the latter in the vertical direction, while a screw thread and spring dev ce 9 allows the adjustment of the upper portion or screen plate 8, bent obliquely.

back on the bottom of the launder, according to the various adjusted positions of the lower portion or screen plate ,7 resulting from the adjustment of the flap.

It is obvious that instead of being capable of adjustment in a vertical direction the shaft 1' of the fiap might as well be adjusted It will be seen that by giving thefiap a; higher or lowerposition it will be possible to reduce or to increase the depth of the sorting pocket. As' stated above, this depth plays a capital part in the operation of the apparatus, Indeed, the importance of the thickness of the mass. of schists in the sorting pocket, whichthe upward stream has to cross, acts toa certain extent to compensate the irregularities in the velocity of the said stream so as to create at, the upper surface of the layer of schists a zone of ldeal sorting with an upward stream of almost no velocity but however sufficient to prevent, in the case of coal treatment, the larger sized coals tosettle together with the schists, andlon the other hand to make it possible for the smaller schists to settle. The accumulation of schists in the ortin pocket constitutes more: over a kind of governor of which the im' portance in the working of the process may be increased by means of the device forming the subject matter of the present invention.

possible to obtain an intermittent discharge of the schists through the medium of the oscillating flap while in' theupper portion of.

the sorting pocket the surfaoefpf the accumu- Indeed, this governor makes it lated schists may remain almost uniformly in alignment with the level of-the layer of schists in the launder bot-h upstream and downstream in relation to the sorting apparatus under consideration. As any irregularity in the level of such layer of schists in the locality of the apparatus has to be corrected by anlincrease in the'velocity of the upward stream, it is obvious that if the said irregularity is practically suppressed, such exaggeration of the velocity of, the upward stream in order to avoid the consequences of the irregularities referred to also becomes unnecessary.

7 Although it is possible in these conditions to treat at the. same time the whole or the raw material, without previously classifying same according to volume, certain circum stances mainly-of commercial order, may render desirable the treatment of categories separated according to volume before washmg.

Such is for instance the case in the treatment of coal where. the problem does not of the latter and of which the principle has.

been described above, provides a solution to the very delicate problem of the connection to the same tank for the reception of the discharged schists of a plurality of sorting apparatus depending from a single launder as illustrated by Figure 3 or from different launders as illustrated by Figure 4.

Heretofore, such problem has been solved by placing the apparatus connected to the same tank at slightly different levels and by providing in the channels for the discharge of the schists devices adapted to prevent any exchange of water between one apparatus and the other.

Now, the accumulation of schists above the flap to a thickness which may, as illustrated byFigs. 3 and l'wherein the shaded portions represent the layer of schists, be varied at will by providing in each sorting apparatus the device for the modification of the depth of the sorting pocket according to the invention, constitutes a real means for adjusting the effective cross sections of the channels for the evacuation of schists which form between them communicating.

vessels, and such means makes it thus possible toavoid absolutely any exchange of \water between the Various sorting appacontents of the finished desirable to treat separately the categories adjustment.

laws of which each can therefore be sub jected to a constant and absolutely perfect Indeed, the accumulation ofsehists above the flap being in each apparatus constituted by schists of clearly determined size to a thickness which can when the apparatus is in operation be considered as practically constant, it may be stated that the effective section for the-passage of the water stream through the interstices of the mass of schists can itself be practically-perfectly constant and therefore capable of perfect adjustment.

It should be understood that the invention is not restricted toTthe embodiments illustrated and that the means employed to effect the adjustment of the flap, for instance, may vary according to the needs of veach individual case as well as the details of construction and arrangement of the apparatus, without the principles of the invention, as defined in the appended claims, being afi'ecte d thereby.

' I claim:

1. In wet-sorting apparatus of the kind comprising a flooded sorting pocket depending from a' launder and havin like separation chamber forme in the upper portion thereof by a sloping screen leading'downwardly to a discharge mouth, and means for supplying. water in upward streams through said pocket, the combination of: a sloping screen formed of two independent substantially aligned screenplates'; a movable sector-shaped discharge flap on a pivoted shaft extending horizontally along the lower edge of the screen and pro ecting at one'end through the corresponding wall of the pocket; means on the said projecting end of the shaft for imparting an oscillatory movement to the flap;

a pair of suitabl guided vertically movable supporting mem ers for'the said shaft and the lower screen-plate, arranged within and adjacent the lateral walls of the pocket;

hand-operated means in positive engagement with said supporting members for adjusting-the position of same, whereby the a hopperdepth ofthe separation chamber above the flap may be varied; means for securing the aforesaid supporting members in any adjusted position; and spring pressed means for causing the adjustment of the upperscreen-plate in relation to the lower screen plate; substantially as described.

2. In wet-sorting apparatus of the kind comprising a flooded sorting pocket depending from a launder and having a hopperlike separation chamber formed in the upper portion thereof by a sloping screen lead:

ing downwardly to a discharge mouth, and

means for supplying water in upward the. lower screen-plate rigidly secured there'- to; integral rackextensions at the upper end of said slides; apair of pinions'positively engaging said racks, on a shaft extending transversely across the launder over the pocket and fitted outwardly'with a crank-handle; a disk having a circumferential series of holes therein, secured outwardly'on the last-named shaft adjacent the corresponding side of the launder; and

a pin for securing said disc in position through engagement in both a suitable hole of said slide of the launder and one of the holes in the disc. 4

In testimony whereof I signed hereunto my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTOINE FRANCE.

Witnesses:

' YVONNE Rreon, Smonmn HAnsnNNn. 

